Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by hitter114:

From a bottle into a stella chalice while watching the finals of the players, a good sunday funday

A: Black, Dark brown in the light, thin tan headS: Smells of whiskey leather alcohol some roastiness, not a tonT: Smooth medium roast alcohol burn is mild smoky but pleasant M: Motor oil thick syrup with a slight hoppiness to it, nice medium high carbonation O: An enjoyable beer, drinks pretty good for 10.8%, you can definitely taste the alcohol, but it is smooth smoky and warming not offensive. Not very stout, I can see why some people here think it drinks like a porter but maybe its just splitting hairs, its toasty drinkable and smooth compared to a lot of IS but some elements of a stout, would like to try the BA version

More User Reviews:

Poured into an imperial pint glass a jet black I mean oils slick black with a very th very thin head that was gone in a flash even after a hard pour.Highly roasted in the aroma along with some raisin and sweet vanilla,the raisin flavors are really pronounced on the palate along with some dark roast coffee and again the vanilla,a hint of wood shows thru in the finish.This beer went down very easily for how big it was wich could come back to hurt ya ,but all in all not earth shattering but solid.

Black-hole black and pretty thick looking as it makes its way from the bottle to the glass. A big and creamy tan head forms on top and grows with a little bit of aggressive swirling. Been holding on to this one for a bit, excited to finally crack it.

The aroma is a bit more subdued that I would have liked/imagined. But, my initial speculation that this was due to the beer being too cold was confirmed as the beer warmed and the aromas finally came out. After stuffing my nose into this for minutes, the thing I smell the most is heavy, dark fudge.

There are some secondary aromas floating in the back; your standard roasted malts, coffee and such, but my mind keeps coming back to that fudge. This beer smells like bittersweet fudge cake - an explosion of fudge. Light alcohol on the nose, too. Somewhat expected for a 10%+ ABV beer.

Holy shit... Night Tripper feels so big on the palate, it's crazy. Just so commanding, robust, and huge. Sweet dark fudge and chocolate cascade over my senses, following suit with the heavy fudge nose I was getting. The taste reveals a bit more than the aroma, however. Much more roasted malt which induces some light, balancing bitterness.

Dark prunes, light coffee beans, and more fudge make up the remainder of the profile. There's a slight dry and ashy tone that hits the back of my tongue with each sip and it slightly resembles burnt coffee beans... Not a bad addition. The alcohol is warming, but not as noticeable at is was in the aroma. Thick and heavy body, chewy, robust, low carbonation overall.

After hearing a bunch of people tell me this was New Holland's best offering, I can finally see where they're coming from. I still might be slightly biased towards the Poet, but this is certainly a top-notch brew from New Holland and no doubt one of their best.

This brew pours dark brown, basically black, with a syrupy disposition. There is practically no head with only the thinnest ring of tan bubbles around the glass giving any indication that there is carbonation present. Aromas are very enjoyable with a heavy sweet malt, figs, and a noticeable alcohol smell.

The first pull was interesting. The first things that hit me were sweet malts and alcohol, but it would be unfair to judge this by those items alone. The complexity of this brew is truly fantastic, with all sorts of flavors coming together like chocolate, licorice, vanilla, and a bit of a whiskey warmth at the end. The mouthfeel is silky and smooth, much like the Dragon's Milk from the same brewer.

I liked this one quite a bit but the only criticism I might give it is that there was practically no carbonation. It would be nice with a few bubbles. It's rather warming on the way down and at such a high gravity it doesn't take long to catch up to you. Recommended.

22 oz bottle. Pours a dark brownish-black with no head, even after a vigorous pour.

The aroma is sweet chocolate, dark fruits (plum) and some rum cakey alcohol.

The flavor is roasted fudgy chocolate and coffee with a slight tang of dark fruits. It has a big bitter roasted and tarry alcoholic finish that is a bit over the top and slightly off tasting. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and watery with no carbonation.

Overall, I really like the flavor of this, other than the finish. The lack of carbonation hurts it as well. This is close to being an awesome brew.

Overall: An above average rich and heavy imperial stout.. The alcohol is well hidden, but yet I feel like I have had more complex and interesting examples in the style. Not a beer I would pass up, but not one I need to rush to again.

Appearance - As I'm pouring you can actually see through the stream of beer and it is a deep brown with a mahogany tone. Once in the glass the liquid is opaque black with a half inch light tan head hangs out for a minute but falls to a patchy cap. Sticky on the edges of the glass in spots but no serious rings. Overall decently appealing.

Taste/Mouthfeel - Rich roasty malts and dark chocolate with a hint of oak. Not as much alcohol presence as I would have expected from 10.8%. Taste is good, but not even the most appealing part of this beer when compared to how it feels. Very smooth with a slight tingle from the carbonation. Thick full body coats my mouth and is fantastic.

Drinkability - While the alcohol isn't cloying, the thick mouthfeel and how heavy it sits in your stomach really keeps this one as a sipper. I love big beers but this one took a while to get through.

Overall - A very rich beer that would go great with dessert. Tasty and full, I wouldn't be opposed to picking some more up.

2014, comes in at 11.5%, poured at around 40-50 degrees. Pours a black as night with a 1-2 finger head. Smells of roasted malts and dark fruits. Taste follows the nose. Finishes silky smooth with no alcohol noticed. Overall this is a great beer. It has a nice sweet note to it, and is surprising easy to drink for such a high ABV. Would recommend for imperial stout drinkers who like a little sweetness.

Taste: Flavors of roast coffee, dark chocolate dominate with a slight hint of black licorice. Flavors linger on the palate for a very long time. Get a nice hit of hops in the finish that is quickly balanced out by flavors of chocolate malt.

Mouthfeel: Nice and heavy like you would expect from a Russian Imperial, but not gumey or tacky. Coats the mouth with all of the flavors in the aroma.

Drinkability: For all of the alcohol, and chocolate malt in this beer it goes down rather quickly, needed to slow myself down so I could enjoy all of the complexity of this beer.

Tried with some extra dark (72% cocoa) chocolate what a perfect match. Being a chef I can't wait to try braising some short ribs with this beer on a cold snowy Clevland night.

Had this on tap during a recent visit to Brews Cafe in Granville. Was interested to try it as I've heard pretty good things about this one.

Appearance- Comes off the tap into a Bells tulip the usual opaque black with a thin sheet of creamy tan head across the top. Head dies back to a thin ring around the edge and a very minimal amount of lacing left as I drink.

Smell- Rich but not overly complex. Lots of roasted malts with a strong bitter chocolate aroma coming through as well. Can't pick up on a whole lot else but what I get does smell nice.

Taste- Again rich and flavorful. Up front I get mostly the bitter chocolate that I was picking up on in the nose and back up by lots of roasted malt. Also some mildly astringent burnt coffee flavors coming through as well on the finish. Very nice.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Mouthfeel is thick and creamy off the tap. This beer was dangerously drinkable and a very nice combination of richness of flavor and accessibility for the style.

Overall, my favorite offering thus far from New Holland. Not the best imperial stout I've had but very good for the price point and availability. Recommended.

Appearance: Pours midnight black with a moderate amount of bubbles. About one finger of deep tan head that settles into a thin creamy layer.

Smell: A very roasty and toasty dark malt forward aroma with good hints of chocolate, coffee, and dark fruit. Dark roasted barley malt with upfront hints of dark chocolate, coffee, toasted bread, smoke, caramel, and yeast. Sweet hints of molasses as well as some tobacco, leather, and anise licorice. Big hints of dark fruit with some cherry, raisin, and prune. Also some earthy hop hints. A very good rich aroma.

Taste: Like it smells, a rich, roasty, and toasty dark malt driven taste with big notes of chocolate and dark fruit. Rich dark roasted barley malt with notes of dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, toast, biscuit, smoke, caramel, and yeast. Sweet notes of burnt molasses. Also coming through are some notes of leather, tobacco, and anise. Lots of sweet dark fruit undertones with notes of cherry, raisin, prune, and plum. Some earthy hop bitterness comes through towards the finish. A really nice taste.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Rich, creamy, and fairly drying on the finish. Alcohol heat is masked well.

Overall: A really good take on an Imperial Stout. Good roasty and bitter dark malt tones with some nice sweet dark fruit undertones. Stands up there with the other great big stouts.